North Jersey Notes: Steel Panther

I know that my column is geared towards the North Jersey music scene, but I need to bring attention to a new phenomenon from the West Coast. On my recent jaunt to Las Vegas, my drummer’s wife, Kelly, suggested that we go and see this band that she saw perform here in NYC. She told us that they were so fun and entertaining to watch, so we all agreed and went to check them out! Kelly hit the nail on the head! The name of the band was Steel Panther, which I later found out was the band formerly known as Metal Skool. They are a staple at the Key Club in Los Angeles every Monday night, where guests like Pink, Kelly Clarkson, Sully Erna from Godsmack, Scott Ian from Anthrax, and Jerry Cantrell from Alice In Chains, just to name a few, would join them on the stage from time to time to jam on old classic hair band songs. Their gimmick is hilarious and a must-see!

Steel Panther’s legend goes like this: Apparently, the band was burning up the Sunset Strip selling out every club with their ultimate live show. In 1987, their manager finally got them a showcase that every single major label would show up at and a bidding war would ensue. Only problem was that Steel Panther never showed up to their showcase. In fact, after that day, the band was never heard from again! Until recently, Steel Panther was just a memory. Out of nowhere, one day the reps at Universal Republic received a mysterious CD that just blew their minds. They tracked down the sender of the CD, only to track it to singer Michael Starr, guitarist Satchel, bassist Lexxi Foxx, and drummer Stix Zadinia, the quartet known as Steel Panther.

Since being rediscovered Steel Panther has been selling out the Key Club in L.A. every Monday night and selling out nights in Las Vegas on Fridays and Saturdays. Their upcoming CD, Time To Let The Cat Out Of The Cage, hits stores this November and will likely include MySpace favorites “Community Property,” “Death To All But Metal,” “Fat Girl,” and my favorite, “The Shocker.” Their lyrics say it all! Their live show is one big comedy routine where they make fun of the singer who is a spitting image of Vince Neil from Mötley Crüe, a guitarist who thinks he’s playing a song by Van Halen when it’s actually the Scorpions, a bassist who is dumb and is constantly looking at himself in the mirror, and a drummer who is the drummer because he’s the best drummer in the band. Yes, this band is a must-see and I hope they come back to NYC because I’d love to see them again. In actuality, these guys are all accomplished musicians and have played with signed bands before doing this parody project. To learn more about Steel Panther and watch some of their hilarious videos, log onto myspace.com/steelpantherkicksass or steelpantherrocks.com.

NORTH JERSEY NOTES UPDATES:

I just got an email from Tommy London of The Dirty Pearls, and it looks like FOX’s music TV show, Fearless Music, will be featuring The Dirty Pearls. The taping will be next Tuesday night, June 16, down at Crash Mansion in NYC. If you want to be a part of the taping, contact the band via their MySpace page, myspace.com/thedirtypearls, or for more info on the event, log onto thedirtypearls.com. By the way, the band will be heading to L.A. in September to open for Steel Panther at the Key Club.

Speaking of NYC bands, my boys from Eve To Adam have finally released their cover version of Midnight Oil’s “Beds Are Burning” on iTunes. Let me tell you, I actually got a copy of this track when I tried out for the band back in February, and I have to say that their version of “Beds Are Burning” is modern and totally kicks ass! The song gets a great response when Eve To Adam plays live, and apparently people have been waiting for it to be released. So, log onto iTunes and download “Beds Are Burning” today! For more info on Eve To Adam, log onto evetoadam.com or myspace.com/evetoadam.

And finally, rounding out my NYC band week, the band Anaka has finally finished their upcoming CD, The Glorified Crusade, and they’ve posted a couple of tracks on their MySpace page for fans to listen to. The songs that I got to hear, the title track “The Glorified Crusade” and “Fall From Grace,” both showed maturity in Anaka’s songwriting since the last time that I heard from this Brooklyn-based metal band. They’re still very riff-driven, and singer Jimmy Pallis reminded my of Strapping Young Lad singer Devin Townsend at times. Look for the new CD by Anaka, The Glorified Crusade, out now on myspace.com/anaka.

That’s all for now! And remember, if your band is from North Jersey, and you want some exposure, send your demos and press kits to Arts Weekly, c/o Tim Louie P.O. Box 1140 Little Falls, NJ 07424. No cover bands, please!

Just remember….We’re all in the same boat, so every little bit of exposure counts!